


Caturday

by Haru D Nae (Anaelita)



Series: Purrfect AU [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blankets, Cooking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Homework, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Laundry, M/M, Netflix and Chill, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 05:50:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21010787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anaelita/pseuds/Haru%20D%20Nae
Summary: A simple weekend in company of Zoro, Sanji and their cat.





	Caturday

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently some people liked this AU... so I decided to expand it a bit :D Sorry for taking so long to post it, but September was awful and I am only slowly getting back to writing... 
> 
> That said, I hope you'll enjoy that sequel !

Zoro wakes up to the sound of Sanji making breakfast. He dazedly enjoys the comfort of his own bed, cracking his one good eye open as he hears the door to the bedroom creak.

Diesel pokes his head through the gap, and meows.

Zoro has a soft smile and lets his hand fall down the bed, wriggles his fingers to motion for the cat to come.

Diesel happily trots towards his human, and rubs his head against his palm as he reaches it, purring softly.

"Good morning, Diesel", Zoro says, and grabs the small cat to place him atop his chest.

The cat happily lets himself be hauled up, and places himself in monorail cat position over Zoro's torso, purring louder now that he's in contact with one of his humans.

Zoro pulls his other arm from under the covers and starts petting him, alternating between long brushes of both his hands over Diesel's back and all the way down his tail, and gentle scratches under the chin and behind the ears.

Diesel leans into every touch, sometimes letting out small contented meows resonating with his continuous purring.

"Good boy, pretty boy", Zoro praises Diesel as he keeps petting him.

The noise in the kitchen continues for a few moments, then it stops.

Sanji pokes his head through the door as well. "Awake, marimo ?" Then he has a soft smile as he sees the position his roommate's in, and adds, "Aww, you're cute."

Zoro blushes a little. "Am not", he weakly protests.

Sanji chuckles. "Breakfast is ready, but I wouldn't want to interrupt a petting session."

Diesel's ears perk up at that, and he meows at Sanji.

"Yes, your breakfast is ready too", the blond answers him.

The calico tabby cat moves to sit atop Zoro's chest and starts to stretch, yawning in the process. Then he hops off his green-haired human and subsequently on the floor, joining his blond human near the door to rub his sides and his tail against his legs.

"He prefers you because you're feeding him", Zoro grumbles at length.

"Is that jealousy I hear ?" Sanji raises an amused eyebrow.

Zoro slightly pouts. "Certainly not."

"C'mon, let's eat", Sanji offers, tilting his head towards the other room as he leaves.

The green-haired man grunts but gets up nonetheless, and heads to the main room in nothing more than a pair of loose pants.

Sanji's just done placing Diesel's bowl on the floor, and he moves to stand up, but freezes mid-height at the sight of Zoro half naked. _God, he's gorgeous._

Meanwhile, Diesel eagerly dives in, being an aficionado of the tuna he's been served.

Zoro comes to a halt, a hand on the back of his chair, and raises a quizzical eyebrow. "What's the matter, cook ?"

Sanji gulps and straightens up. "Um..." Still getting used to his attraction towards a man, he doesn't know how to voice it aloud. After all, Zoro's nothing like a lady, so the blond isn't supposed to treat him like one. _How do you even court a man ?_ A light blush spreads on his cheeks as he struggles to _not_ look at Zoro in the chest, and he finally, numbly says, "You're hot."

Zoro has a surprised chuckle, then a wide grin starts to lifts the corners of his mouth. It's been a couple of weeks since they first kissed, and he's glad he took the decision to let Sanji open to him at his pace, allowing him some space and much needed time to adjust to the new nature of their relationship. A direct compliment is a first though, and Zoro's all too happy to see that Sanji voices such thoughts, so he's not about to let it go unnoticed. "You're not too bad yourself", he retorts as his hand leaves the back of the chair, and he walks towards Sanji.

The blond's breath hitches and his heart beats faster as his just-a-bit-more-than-a-roommate approaches him, but he doesn't move, expectation and hope filling his lungs.

Zoro steps inside Sanji's personal space, and puts his hands on the blond's slim waist, pulling him close until their foreheads rest against each other.

Sanji closes his eyes and lets himself be dragged into the other's embrace, even if he's still a bit surprised that he relishes in it that much. He exhales a sigh when his own hands find Zoro's hips and warm up to his bare skin.

Zoro simply profits. The blond's hands are soft against him, tracing soothing circles around his hips with the pads of his thumbs. After a while he lifts his head up to place a chaste kiss on Sanji's forehead.

Sanji softly smiles and lifts his head up to find the marimo's lips.

Zoro smiles and eagerly meets him, tenderly kissing his new boyfriend. When he leans back he adoringly looks at Sanji, who's kind of shyly looking to the side.

_Wow, I really like kissing him_ , Sanji realizes behind his blush. _I guess I'm really bi, then._ He looks up at his roommate and is caught off-guard by the quiet awe he can feel in the other's gaze. His heart misses a beat and he averts his eyes to the side. "Oh, um, breakfast is gonna be cold", he says, stepping back and out of Zoro's space.

_We need to take baby steps. One at a time_, Zoro reminds himself. He nods and moves to sit at their table.

Sanji serves banana and almond pancakes, complete with maple syrup and a bowl of breakfast tea.

"S'delicious", Zoro says around a mouthful, grinning.

Sanji has a satisfied sigh. "I need to start working on my final project", he announces, "A healthy menu made of original recipes, for a whole day. Breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner, full-course style."

"Ooh, do I get to be your guinea pig ?", Zoro asks with hope.

Sanji chuckles. "Obviously. But we'll invite Luffy and the others too as beta testers, when my menu will start to look nice."

Zoro nods in agreement, and resumes his breakfast.

Meanwhile, belly full, Diesel trots to the couch to groom and take a well-deserved nap.

Sanji gives a side-glance at the cat, unconsciously making sure he's fine. Then he observes as his roommate dives in earnestly, and can't suppress a smile at the sight. _He looks happy._ When they're done, the blond gathers the dishes and brings them to the sink, then opens the water and starts washing them.

Zoro joins him and dries the cleaned plates and cutlery, piles them on the counter before storing them in their respective closets and drawers.

"What do you have to do today ?", Sanji asks as he dries his hands.

"I need to do some research for my History of Martial Arts essay, otherwise I've done most of my homework during the week."

"Neat, so did I", Sanji grins. "I'll try and write a few recipes while you do your research, then, we... can... chill together ?", he asks tentatively.

Zoro has a soft smile. "Sounds good to me", he nods. He goes to the bedroom, catches the first tank top he finds on his shelves, and subsequently slips into it.

Sanji, who followed the marimo into the bedroom to retrieve a notebook and his pencil case, is kind of disappointed that he doesn't get to see Zoro half-naked anymore. He rolls his eyes at himself. _I need to work, dammit !_ He quickly regains his composure and grabs his stuff to get back to the kitchen.

Not having noticed a thing, Zoro retrieves his reading glasses and gets to work. He pulls out his laptop from his bag, and while it powers on he retrieves a few books he borrowed at the library to build his bibliography. He logs in as he peruses the first book's content page, opens a new document, and his web browser for further references.

In the meantime, Sanji installs himself on the kitchen table and starts scribbling notes. He gets lost in ideas of meals and snacks, tries to calculate each dish's nutritional value, and finally decides to get his own computer for online resources. As he retrieves it in his bag he notices Zoro intensely focused on whatever he's working on. _He really loves what he does. That's one thing we have in common_, he internally muses. Back on his chair, he peruses online menus and nutritional data, until his internal clock tells him it's time to make lunch. He quickly puts aside his stuff and starts preparing a green bean and potato salad with diced ham, minced shallots and basil.

Diesel wakes up at the sound in the kitchen and stretches, observes his human doing stuff on the other side of the room. He knows there's food whenever the blond human is over there, so he meows to remind the human of his presence.

Sanji turns around and smiles, "Yes, I'm saving a bit of ham for you, Diesel", before resuming his preparations.

Diesel doesn't quite understand what the human just said, but it was directed at him, that's for sure. He meows in return and quickly jumps off the couch to happily trot through the room. He rubs his sides and his tail against the blond human's legs, walks in lazy eights around his ankles. There, he sniffs the air around and notices something smelling good. He meows again to make sure his human doesn't forget about him.

Sanji hums and squats down to pet Diesel. "Be patient", he says, before washing his hands and getting back to his cooking.

The small cat observes as his human keeps doing his own stuff, and decides to wait close by, sitting on the floor and waggling his tail from time to time.

When he's done dressing the plates, Sanji calls, "Marimo, lunch !"

Zoro's head pokes from behind the bedroom door. "Ah, is it that time already ? I'm coming." He leaves his glasses on the desk, and goes to sit at the kitchen table, sparing a glance for Diesel waiting next to him.

Sanji grabs Diesel's bowl and disposes of it on the floor, allowing the cat to dive in. "_Bon appétit_", he says, and after one or two caresses on the soft fur he sits as well. "You too, mosshead", he smiles, and waits for Zoro to start eating.

Zoro rolls his eyes at the nickname but earnestly dives in too. He can't suppress a contented sigh as he chews the first bite. "S'good", he compliments Sanji around a mouthful.

The blond acknowledges with a hum and starts eating as well. "I need to do laundry", he says after a while, "I'll take care of that before getting back to my project."

"Hm, not a bad idea. Can we share ?"

"Of course", Sanji grins.

"Cool."

Diesel doesn't leave a single bit of ham, and meows at his humans to indicate he's done. Then he starts grooming, lick after lick to clean his fur.

Sanji spares a glance at the cat, and smiles when he sees his empty bowl. With a satisfied hum, he resumes his lunch.

Zoro helps with the dishes, as usual when they're done eating, before gathering all his dirty clothes. He puts them all in a large laundry bag that he holds open as Sanji puts his own into it too.

"There we go", Sanji says, petting Diesel as he leaves and leads the way to the washing machines at the other end of the building, washing powder under his arm.

Zoro closes the door behind them, laundry bag thrown on his shoulder, and shortly follows.

"So, how's your research going ?"

"Mmh, not bad", Zoro shrugs, "I wanna write something meaningful so I need solid data. I found interesting resources, though, so hopefully I can come up with a first draft by the end of next week. I'm so glad we have internet. What would we do without online resources ? Imagine doing everything old-school style."

"Well", Sanji grins, "I like old-school, but it's true that internet helps a great deal. I want to write my recipes myself, and know them by heart by the day I'll reveal them, but I admit I have found great inspiration on the web. It's not easy finding something new to eat every single day." He playfully pokes at Zoro's ribs. "Especially when your roommate doesn't cook."

"Come on, you've taken over the kitchen from day one ! Plus, you're aiming to be a chef, so it's basic practice for you. I know how to cook though, you just never asked", Zoro winks.

"Huh, who knew an algae ball could cook", Sanji muses, "I guess I won't know until I actually leave the kitchen to you."

Zoro very maturely draws his tongue out.

The blond chuckles and opens the door to the laundry room, holding it opens for the marimo.

"Thanks", Zoro quietly says, still not used to small attentions like this. It feels homey... though still kind of alien : just a few months back, their routine involved more insults and jabs at each other, and now they've found a quiet peaceful truce. He really likes the turn their relationship took, and smiles at the thought as he empties the contents of the laundry bag into the first machine available.

Sanji quietly observes as Zoro's arms flex as he grabs a huge ball of clothes. _I want to be held by those arms_, he realizes. He waits until the last sock is inside the rotating drum, closes the door to it, and fills the washing powder compartment. When he's done launching the washing cycle, he turns to Zoro and quietly asks, "Can I have a hug ?"

Zoro's gaze turns soft. "Of course", he says, and opens his arms for a warm embrace.

Sanji can't suppress a delighted sigh as he finds himself pulled against his maybe-not-just-a-roommate's slightly taller form. He breathes in Zoro's scent, nose nuzzling against the tender skin of his neck. _Feels good... __s__till strange, in a way, but good._

Zoro's hands find the small of Sanji's back and bring him flush against him. _Wanna do more than just cuddle_, Zoro selfishly thinks, then mentally berates himself for such thoughts. _Baby steps, baby steps._

Sanji leans back after a while, wearing a soft smile. He steps out of Zoro's personal space, sets up a timer to ring when the washing cycle is over, and motions for Zoro to follow him back to their shared room.

Diesel waits for them on the other side of the door, offering head rubs and little meows.

Zoro grabs him and hauls him up against his chest, making sure he's comfortably installed.

Sanji softly smiles at that, and raises a hand to pet the cat.

Diesel purrs as his human scratches under his chin, and rubs his head against his hand.

"Aww, cutie pie", Sanji coos, "You like that, don't you ?"

Diesel meows.

Zoro grins. "It's like he really understands us sometimes."

"Of course he does !" The blond keeps petting Diesel, scratches behind his ears and asks, "Do you love us ?"

Diesel loudly purrs, and meows again.

"We love you, too", Sanji grins.

Zoro has a soft smile as he gazes at Sanji's delighted face, and hums contentedly.

They spend a few more minutes taking turns petting him, before returning to their tasks.

Diesel follows his green-haired human to the bedroom and jumps on the bottom bunk bed. There, he walks in lazy circles around the pillow, and installs himself snugly against it. He observes the human whose arms he just left for a while, and lets himself be enveloped in the comfort of his presence close by. He lets his eyelids slowly fall, and drifts into a comfortable nap as his purring softens.

Zoro casts a glance at Diesel, smiles at seeing the calico tabby nestled on his bed. Then he resumes his research, a contented smile adorning his face.

Meanwhile, Sanji quickly wraps up his first draft for a recipe. Then he goes to the green-haired student in the bedroom, approaching him from behind. He cautiously peeks from behind his roommate's shoulder and observes him.

Zoro has his brows furrowed in concentration as he peruses a book, stops from time to time to type a reference on his laptop, then resumes his reading.

Sanji gently puts a hand on the marimo's shoulder.

He starts and turns to the blond.

"Hey", Sanji softly says, "Wanna take a break ?"

Zoro sighs. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. My head is full of references to peruse later anyway." He stretches his arms up, popping a shoulder in the process. "Ah ! Feels good. What do you wanna do ?"

"How about Netflix ? I've got tons of stuff on my watchlist."

"Sure", Zoro grins as he puts his homework away.

Meanwhile, Sanji moves to the main room and installs his own laptop on the TV stand, plugs an HDMI cable between it and the TV so they can enjoy a bigger screen. Then he retrieves his wireless mouse and keyboard, installs himself on the couch, and starts perusing his watchlist.

Once Zoro's done clearing the desk, he grabs the blanket on his bed and joins Sanji on the couch. As he drapes himself into the soft fabric, he notices Diesel waking up.

The cat yawns, slowly opens his eyes. His humans are in the other room, and he'd rather stay close to them. So he stretches, and hops off the bed.

Zoro smiles. "C'mere, Diesel, let's watch TV together", he says invitingly, offering a hand and motioning for the cat to come.

Diesel emits a sound halfway between a purr and a meow, and lazily walks towards the couch. He stays at its feet for a moment, wiggling his tail from side to side as he calculates the best angle to jump. Then he softly bounces on the couch, between his two humans, and starts purring and walking in circles, asking for head rubs.

Zoro gladly complies. "Here, kitty, let's snuggle all together."

Sanji's gaze turns soft as he glances at the marimo and the cat getting comfortable together. He stops his perusing to pet Diesel as well.

Diesel meows, all too happy to have both his humans taking care of him. He licks their fingertips in return, and loudly purrs.

A few moments pass where there's no other sound in the room than Diesel's purring, and it's comfortable, oddly homey to both Zoro and Sanji.

Then the calico tabby sprawls on the couch and rests his paw against Zoro's thigh.

"See ? Now _you're_ getting his attention", Sanji teases as he gets back to his watchlist.

Zoro feels a burst of pride and can't suppress a contented hum as he keeps petting Diesel. "So, what's on your watchlist ?"

"Well, there's this cartoon Nami told me about : she says it's a "coming-of-age cosmic adventure with a brilliant soundtrack". Wanna try it ?"

"Is that... the one with the magical girls ?", Zoro lifts an eyebrow.

Sanji cringes. "Don't put it like that- it's- Nami said it's a former storyboarder from Adventure Time that created it, and that it's awesome."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Whatever, let's try it."

"Okay. Season one, episode one : here we go."

They discover Steven Universe together, and binge the first few episodes of the first season. They unconsciously snuggle closer to each other as they watch the series, as much as possible with Diesel between them.

As he pauses the ongoing show at the end of the 6th episode, Sanji feels a shiver run down his spine. "Holy shit, that weird shapeshifting totally crept me out. I _hate_ body horror."

"Didn't expect that either. Reminds me of Akira", Zoro muses.

"Yeah, apparently this series is filled with references."

He shrugs.

Sanji's phone timer rings. "Laundry time", he announces as he sets the alarm off, and gets up from the couch.

Zoro sprawls on the couch, head on the armrest, mindful of Diesel who shortly opens his eyes before they flutter shut again. "There, there", he quietly says. "He'll be back before you know it."

The blond smiles and closes the door behind him. He makes quick work of transferring their laundry from the washing machine to the dryer, sets on another timer and walks back to their shared room.

Zoro's still petting Diesel, who's softly purring nestled against his side.

"Make some room, would ya ?" Sanji asks.

The green-haired student grunts but complies.

Sanji sits...

...and Zoro gets back to his previous position, but with his head on Sanji's knees.

The blond is surprised by such a casual yet intimate move from his roommate, but finds himself smiling at it. "Okay", he breathes out.

Diesel opens his eyes, blinks at seeing his two humans reunited, and gets up to stretch.

Zoro's hand flies to the cat, scratching him behind the ears. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He grabs Diesel by the nape of the neck and places him on his chest, loud purring reverberating through it in sync with his heartbeat.

Diesel lets himself be hauled up, albeit with a small meow when he's lifted in the air. He paws at the broad expanse of Zoro's chest, only barely scratching the fabric of his shirt with the tip of his claws.

Sanji raises a hand to pet the cat as well, a soft smile on his face. Moments like these really feel pleasant lately... The stray kitten entrusted to them by Luffy really grew on them, and neither of them can deny the fact that they bonded over him.

The little matchmaker installs himself comfortably and lets himself be lulled to sleep by gentle touches from his humans.

"He stopped purring, I think he's asleep", Zoro whispers.

"You're not gonna wake him up", Sanji says, "I bet he likes to hear us talk while he sleeps."

The green-haired student grunts and makes a face. "Alright, alright. Just... Yeah. Just, put the next episode."

Sanji chuckles but clicks play, and they binge another hour of Steven Universe. At the end of the 12th episode, shortly after the second timer rang, he pauses the ongoing show and exclaims, "Holy shit, I didn't see that coming. The whole concept of fusion is _awesome_ !"

"Fuck yeah ! And what's the deal with the lion ?"

Sanji hums, he really wants to know what happens next. "Come on, let's get our clothes back, then I'll make snacks, and we keep watching ?"

"Good to me", Zoro says, "I'll get the laundry bag." Then he executes himself, careful not to disturb Diesel's nap as he gets up from the couch.

Sanji cautiously closes the door behind them, and up they go. "I can't believe Garnet's last line", he excitedly comments as they go down a series of corridors. "I can't wait to see if Steven can fuse, too."

"And what do other gem fusions look like ?"

"Aah, this is gonna be so cool !"

"Yeah, that show's pretty good so far", Zoro grins as he opens the door to the local.

They keep discussing their theories as they extract their clean and now dry clothes from the machine, and neatly fold all the garments before storing them in the laundry bag. Sanji has a satisfied sigh as he places the last of his shirts upon the pile and ties the bag closed. "I'm really curious about Steven's potential powers", he says as he leads the way back to their place.

Zoro smiles, "Yeah, let's keep watching, I'm eager to know what happens next."

"Why don't you put the clothes on the shelves, and I'll start making snacks", Sanji offers as he opens the door to their shared room.

"Sure." Zoro executes himself, quickly placing garment after garment on their respective piles in the bedroom. As he's just about done, he glances through the doorway, wondering why he's not hearing sounds from the kitchen...

Sanji's squatting in front of the couch and gently petting Diesel, who doesn't seem to have woken up from his nap.

His boyfriend can't suppress a smile at the cute sight, and piles the last of their clothes in a blink. After putting away the laundry bag back in the bathroom, he approaches Sanji from behind, and puts a hand on his shoulder.

The blond stops petting Diesel and gets up, turns around to find himself facing the marimo.

"I thought you were making snacks", Zoro says with a hint of playfulness.

Sanji feels a little heat rising up to his cheeks at being called out, but retorts, "Don't pretend you never get sidetracked with him around."

Zoro has a light chuckle. "True that. But I'm kinda hungry. Want some help ?"

"That... would be nice, actually. Thanks", Sanji genuinely grins.

Zoro's heart skips a beat. They've fallen into a comfortable rhythm those last weeks and he relishes in the familiarity of it. Being able to just enjoy each other presence is a relief after spending that much time bickering. Well... They still, technically, tease each other from time to time, but it's playful instead of mean.

Sanji moves to the kitchen, grabs a couple of apples, an orange and a grapefruit in the large bowl on the table to prepare a fruit salad.

Zoro unwraps himself from the blanket, careful not to wake up Diesel.

The calico tabby opens an eye at the rustling sounds around him but closes it almost immediately, and stays in place.

After a last head rub to Diesel, the green-haired student sits at the table, where Sanji disposed a cutting board and a knife for him to dice the fruits.

Meanwhile, the blond quickly whisks some pancake batter.

"Want to add something else ?", Zoro asks as he washes his hands from all the juice.

"Vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar", Sanji provides, "I'll take care of that when I'm done here", he adds as he flips a medium-sized pancake.

Zoro moves beside his boyfriend and quietly observes him cooking. Every movement seems perfectly calculated, and filled with purpose. _Cook's in his element, that's for sure_, he smiles to himself.

"We'll eat those with tangerine marmalade, courtesy of Nami : it'll go perfectly with the fruit salad", Sanji says as he places the last pancake on top of the pile on a nearby plate. Then he grabs the last ingredients he needs, and finishes preparing the fruit salad.

Zoro purses his lips. "You know, I could have done that myself, if you just gave me instructions for quantities."

Sanji glances at him. "But... cooking's my whole life."

"What I'm saying is... I could help you a bit more, I know how to cook myself. Basic stuff, but still", Zoro insists.

"I've yet to try your food, for all I know you're just boasting for nothing", Sanji teases.

Zoro huffs. "Challenge accepted", he declares, "When- eh, you know what ? _I'__ll_ make dinner tonight."

Sanji's taken aback by the offer but a smile grows on his face as he regains his composure. "Why not, marimo, I'll take you up on that one."

The green-haired student proudly puffs out his chest and brings the fruit salad bowl to the table in front of the couch.

"But then, I'm claiming the kitchen back so I can work on my project", Sanji says behind his back.

He rolls his eyes. "Of course", he sighs, but can't help a grin.

The blond puts the pancakes and marmalade on the table next to the fruit salad, and brings spoons and a couple of bowls. "_Bon appétit_", he says when he's done serving the fruit salad.

"_Itadakimasu_", Zoro says in return before tasting a first spoonful.

Sanji smiles at seeing his roommate diving in so earnestly... He knows that his food is good, but it's always a treat when someone genuinely appreciates it. Somehow, it's even better when it's the marimo... he wonders why. He feels a shy eagerness bubbling through his chest, as it dawns on him that he likes to see Zoro happy.

Zoro hums his appreciation around a mouthful, and starts spreading marmalade on the pancake at the top of the pile. He swallows and takes a bite, relishing in the mixed flavors. "You were right, it's so good together", he grins at the not-graduated-yet-but-damn-skilled-cook.

Sanji's heart swells at the sunny sight. He can't suppress a lopsided smile, but clicks to play the next episode and dives into his own bowl as he feels heat rising up to his cheeks.

They finish their snacks by the time Zoro starts gaping at some answers – and even more questions – about the lion. He excitedly grabs Sanji's hands as he recaps the last episode, and... doesn't let go when he's done, instead brings Sanji's fingertips to his mouth to place a soft kiss on them, then puts the blond's hand on his chest, above his heart. That's the closest thing to a declaration he's ever done...

Sanji feels light-headed from such a move but doesn't go against it, instead lets himself be dragged into the warmth radiating from the marimo. There's also this rapid heartbeat resonating under his fingertips, that makes his breath quickens... He swallows, kinda nervous all of a sudden. _Why does this feel so intimate ?_

Zoro slowly opens his eyes and glances up at his boyfriend, looking shy now, a shade of red spreading across his cheeks and all the way up to his ears. _Is that too much ? Too early ?_ He releases his hold on Sanji's hand and lets his own fall back at his side.

A small whine passes past Sanji's lips as some of the warmth enveloping him recedes, and he grabs the faulty hand back, squeezes it as he places it back over Zoro's chest. Then he musters all his courage to lean in and place a soft kiss on the marimo's lips.

Zoro grins like a kid on Christmas when his boyfriend leans back up. He feels lucky to be met with such quiet acceptance instead of the fidgety nervousness he was expecting... His heart swells but he decides to let Sanji focus on something else for now. _Baby steps._ "So, next episode ?"

"Sure", Sanji breathes out. The turn his relationship with Zoro took... it's strangely enticing, pleasant and exciting at the same time. He brushes the warm feelings away and launches the 13th episode...

They dive back into the show, snuggling against each other and squeezing hands whenever there's a burst of emotion. And there are a few of them along the way...

"Monster Buddies" really do a number on them, and Sanji clicks pause at the end of the episode with a sad and soft "Aww..."

Zoro softly sighs as he squeezes Sanji's fingers with his own, one too many times.

"That was... unexpectedly moving", Sanji wipes with his free hand a single tear at the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd get so... attached", Zoro admits.

"Steven is really something else."

"Yeah. I like this show, thanks for putting it on."

"You'll have to thank sweet Nami for this, she's the one that recommended it."

"Will do", Zoro nods.

Sanji smiles and instinctively leans in for a kiss, stops just a couple of inches above his handsome roommate's face. He realizes what he's doing and, most importantly, that he _wants_ to do it. He closes the last of distance between them and places a tender kiss on Zoro's lips.

The green-haired student sighs of delight into the kiss, relaxes against Sanji's form and simply profits.

When Sanji leans back Zoro chases him, playfully nibbling at his lower lip. He softly moans in return, and he leans back in for a more heated kiss.

Zoro's grip on Sanji's fingers tightens, and there's something warm coiling in his gut when he feels the blond's tongue sneaking its way into his mouth. He gasps at the intrusion, only allowing it deeper in, and he growls as it swirls against his with ease and a hint of practice. _Damn, cook's such a good kisser..._

Sanji leans up after a few excruciatingly long moments of playing with the other's tongue and sucking it, seductively drags the tip of his own along Zoro's lower lip as he does so.

Zoro shudders with want, and is left wondering to what extent the blond wants to take it slow... He cautiously opens his eyes to meet a single mischievous blue orb, the other one always hidden behind a curtain of golden hair.

Sanji feels a little heat rising up to his cheeks but can't suppress a slightly lopsided smile. "Hey", he softly says, carding his free hand through Zoro's hair.

Zoro leans into the touch, his eye fluttering shut again. He simply hums in acknowledgement.

"I really like today. Feels... good, and... natural", Sanji says.

"Same here", Zoro grins.

Close by on the couch, Diesel slowly wakes up, gets up, and stretches.

Zoro cracks his one good eye open, and starts patting the calico tabby's head.

Diesel makes a sound halfway between a meow and a purr, and leans into the touch.

Sanji softly smiles and joins Zoro in his petting. "Here, kitty. Waking up, are we ?"

"Speaking of which, what time is it ? Night's falling but-"

"Oh shit !", Sanji exclaims as he check his phone. "Is it _that_ late already ? C'mon, marimo, the kitchen's all yours !"

"Ah. Alright then..." Zoro purses his lips as he sits on the couch, reluctantly leaving Sanji's enveloping warmth. "Hmm. Are you hungry yet ?", he asks, turning to his boyfriend.

The blond thoughtfully hums, glancing at the ceiling, then says, "Kinda, but not really. I can wait for a while."

"Okay. How about something simple ?"

Sanji shrugs.

"I told you I'm not a master chef but I know a few good dishes... Something simple, something healthy... Lemme think."

Sanji raises an amused eyebrow at seeing his roommate focused on finding the menu for dinner.

"Oh, I know !", Zoro suddenly exclaims. "Do we have- ah, I'm gonna check the fridge", he says as he gets off the couch and jumps to the kitchen.

Sanji quietly observes as Zoro fumbles around in the fridge and the cupboards, and keeps idly petting Diesel.

The cat blinks at seeing his green-haired human in the kitchen. Usually the blond is there, but he doesn't mind that they change, as long as he gets something to eat as well. He meows at his green-haired human, and hops off the couch to saunter towards him. As he reaches him he rubs his tail against his legs, walking in lazy eights around his ankles.

Zoro looks down and squats to meet Diesel. He gently scratches behind his ears, smiling. "Does that mean I have to cook for you, too ?"

Diesel meows.

Sanji grins, "I can teach you the adequate quantities, and that any meat or fish is better raw."

Standing back up, Zoro puffs out his chest. "That's a deal. Tonight I cook for everyone. Good thing you keep the kitchen stocked, I wasn't sure I'd have everything I need..."

The blond grins, "So, what's on the menu ?"

"I'll make you _ramen_", Zoro announces. "And I'll save some meat for Diesel."

"Oh, I heard it's delicious, but never got the occasion to try it. Nice ! Do you mind if I watch ? I'm always eager to learn how to prepare new dishes."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Of course you would. Sure", he says, and starts gathering all the ingredients he needs : whole-wheat noodles, a couple of leftover pork roast slices, eggs, leeks, carrots, a half Chinese cabbage, soy sauce, and a nice combo of spices and herbs.

Sanji observes as the marimo finely cuts the pork roast in thin slices, and is somehow amazed by the other's dexterity : he's not a cook but he knows how to handle a knife alright. _Interesting._ "Don't forget Diesel", he says.

"Of course", the green-haired student grins, "In fact, I was going to start with him."

Sanji softly chuckles. "Save him like... 100g of meat, that's about what he had for breakfast and lunch combined. That way he has snacks for the night", he instructs.

Zoro nods, weighs the desired amount of pork and saves it in a small bowl. Then he stir-fries the rest of the tiny slices of pork roast, and transfers the leftover cooking juices into the broth he's preparing on the other hotplate with soy sauce and spices. He falls into a comfortable rhythm, remembering how to execute the recipe step after step. When the first hotplate is cleared from the pan, and the pork is safely stored in a plate for later use, he boils the leeks and Chinese cabbage together. When all that's left to cook is the noodles, he puts them into the broth and regularly stirs so the flavors soak into the wheat. One final step before dressing the plates : he cuts a few carrot slices that he keeps raw.

The future cook analyses every move, every step, and it finally dawns on him that the marimo knows perfectly well how to cook a healthy and tasty meal. _Now that's something. What other secret skills could he possibly be hiding ?_

Finally, Zoro serves two large bowls of noodles and broth, covers them with an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of veggies and pork slices, and tops it all with a few black sesame seeds. He has a satisfied hum as he glances at the result of his work, and brings the bowls to the table.

Sanji hauls a half-asleep Diesel on his shoulder and gets up from the couch to join his more-and-more-interesting-roommate. As he comes by the table, he observes the contents of the bowls and raises an amused eyebrow. "Hey, that looks really good."

Zoro has a lopsided smile and blushes a little. "Gee, you haven't tested it yet", he weakly protests. In a futile attempt to conceal his embarrassment, he approaches his boyfriend and raises a hand to pet the cat who's slowly waking up.

Diesel sniffs the air above the table. Something smells good, so he turns his head and looks down to see two huge bowl filled with warm food. He meows.

Zoro scratches behind Diesel's ears. "Dinner time for you, too", he announces, as he steps aside to retrieve the bowl of raw pork. He quickly comes back and places the bowl within smelling distance of the cat.

Diesel instantly perks up, eyes trained on the smaller bowl. He meows again, and starts wriggling his way out of his blond human's arms.

"Alright, alright", Sanji yields, and places him on the floor.

Diesel instantly dives in as his green-haired human feeds him some quality meat.

"Our turn, now", Zoro says, and sits to eat.

Sanji follows, and takes a first bite at the pork roast.

Zoro eagerly awaits his boyfriend's reaction... to no avail. Apprehension starts to fill him as the blond tastes each and every ingredient separately but doesn't comment. It gets worse when he takes a mouthful of a little of everything, conscientiously chews everything eyes closed, then swallows without a single word or change in expression.

Finally, Sanji takes a sip of the broth to help down everything, and only then he's ready to release his judgement. He opens his eyes and a warm smile grows on his face as he says, "It's delicious."

Zoro shakes his head and the stress away. "Yeah ?", he asks at last, relieved.

"Damn right. It's... perfectly harmonized : every flavor easily balancing with the other, every texture contrasting with the next one, not too fat, not too bland... not too spicy either", Sanji explains.

Zoro opens wide eyes. "Is that why you took so long to tell me ? To have the time to analyze _all this_ ?"

"Um, yeah", the future chef sheepishly says, "I really like food, you know, so I tend to investigate new dishes."

"Of course you would", Zoro shakes his head.

"But, yeah, congratulations. I wasn't expecting such a meal from you. I clearly underestimated you", Sanji admits.

Zoro blinks then smiles at the unexpected compliment coming from the future chef.

"Maybe, _maybe_, I'll let you cook from time to time. But you have to ask ! I won't relinquish the kitchen until you tell me that you want to cook. And it has to be as good as this", Sanji smiles.

"That's a deal", Zoro offers a handshake over the table.

Sanji accepts it, and his hand remains squeezing Zoro's warm one. Their locked hands move to the side to rest on the table, and their fingers easily intertwine. Sanji has a soft sigh as his heart swells at such a simple but intimate gesture.

Zoro grins from ear to ear.

Sanji's heart misses a beat at the sunny sight.

But Zoro finally retrieves his hand and says, "Let's eat, it's gonna get cold."

Sanji nods and resumes his meal.

Diesel doesn't finish his own bowl, and goes to the couch to groom.

"Told you", Sanji says around a mouthful, "He's keeping snacks for later."

Zoro hums as acknowledgement as he happily chews. Ramen is one of his favorite dishes, but it's been a while since he ate some... he likes Sanji's cuisine, of course, but still, ramen is a traditional meal from home and somehow he's always found it comforting.

Out of the blue, Sanji asks, "Who taught you how to cook ?"

"Ah... that would be my father. He taught me everything I know, from onigiri to yakitori... and even kendo ! We never had a mother around, so he always provided everything my sister and I needed. Perona's on the other side of the country, recently got out of art school and is living her dream, and my father paid both hers and my tuition fees as long as we're bringing back good grades. He's rough, but he wants nothing but the best for us."

"Wow", the blond quietly awes. "He must be quite the character. But I get the feel, my own father is pretty rough, too. He's a Chef, and he taught me the most of what I know about cooking techniques... and savate."

"Runs in the family, huh ?"

"I'm... adopted", Sanji reveals.

Zoro blinks. "Uh... Perona and I are too ?"

Sanji has a surprised chuckle. "Okay, that's something we have in common. How come I did not know this until now ?"

"Dunno, maybe 'cause we barely talk about our families ?"

"Yeah, I guess... Still, that's kinda funny. Do you ever... wonder ? About, you know, how much we have in common ?"

Zoro bites his lower lip. "Uh... I- yeah, I do. Been for a while, actually", he confesses with a shy blush.

Sanji's gaze turns soft and he reaches out to grab the marimo's hand with his own.

Their fingers intertwine and Zoro feels his heart swell. Encouraged by the sweet display of affection, he continues, "Ever since we started to get along well, I noticed I liked you." He takes a deep breath and further explains, "I've known I'm gay since I was twelve, so... of course, I've asked myself questions."

Sanji nods his understanding, and squeezes the marimo's fingers. "I'm glad we grew out of arguing all the time." He glances at Diesel, still grooming on the couch, and adds with a smile, "I'm quite happy now, with you two."

Zoro feels his chest filling with pride and joy, and can't resist the urge of kissing his boyfriend : he places his hands on the table, gets up and leans down above it until he can almost reach the blond.

Sanji gets the hint and tilts his head up, straightens up and stretches his neck, so he closes the last of distance between them and their mouths meet.

Zoro sighs of delight into the kiss, and when he breaks it he wears an adoring smile.

Sanji blushes and gently scolds him, "Finish your bowl, it's gonna get cold."

Zoro chuckles. "Sure", he says then, and does as he's been told.

Sanji finishes his dinner too, and they do the dishes together as usual, falling back into their comfortable routine.

Then they join Diesel on the couch, and Zoro lays his head over Sanji's knees like before, and brings the cat atop his chest, continuously caressing him.

Diesel lets himself be petted and scratched by his two humans, and rewards them with loud purring and the occasional meow.

"Do you want to keep watching Steven Universe ?", Sanji asks.

"Why not, tomorrow's Sunday so I don't care if I'm waking up late."

"Figures." Sanji runs a hand through Zoro's short hair before resuming the show.

Turns out, they're so engrossed by the next plot lines the creators of the show throw in the next episodes, they end up binging the end of the first season – another four good hours of the show ! – until late at night. They watch the first episode of the second season, for good measure, then they check the time and decide to power off the laptop to resist the tentation.

"I can't believe it !", Sanji exclaims.

"That was _amazing_ !"

"Ugh, I was so stressed when they took them away !"

"And holy shit, Malachite ?!"

"Gee, that's one awful fusion. But there is one I absolutely love~", Sanji coos.

"Oh, yeah, I already know which one... how not to, anyway ? They're badass."

"I wonder if we'll see more gems in the future... what they'll be like, looks and personality."

"Who knows", Zoro shrugs.

"And Nami-swan was right : the soundtrack is just golden."

"Yeah, I found the few last songs were really well written, performed, and accompanying the animation, especially the one in the season finale. A real piece of work."

"Yeah..." Sanji absentmindedly threads a hand through green hair and softly smiles.

Zoro's eyes flutter shut in delight and he lets himself drift to a more relaxed state, his breathing evening and what's left of tension in his body leaving him.

"Beddie time, marimo", Sanji says after a few minutes of gently petting Zoro's hair.

Said algae ball protests, "But I'm fine, here."

"I'm not your pillow", Sanji retorts with a light chuckle, "And I need mine to sleep."

Zoro groans unhappily but gets up, mindful of Diesel who's nestled at his side.

The calico tabby opens bleary eyes, disturbed in his nap. His humans are moving, leaving the couch for their bedroom. He yawns, gets up from the couch, stretches, and shortly follows them.

Both students undress themselves until they're in nothing more than their underwear, and Zoro gives an appreciative once-over at the blond when his back is turned.

Sanji squats to meet Diesel, who cranes his neck for head rubs. "Aww, you're too cute", he says, and easily complies. Then he grabs the small cat, straightens up, and cradles him in the crook of his arm just like a baby, using his other hand to tickle Diesel's belly and paws.

The cat plays along, pawing at Sanji's fingertips and trying to catch them, before rolling on the side to paw at Sanji's chest and offer his back. He rubs his head against Sanji's arm, searching for more contact.

Zoro walks to them and lifts a hand to pet Diesel as well.

There, more contact, and Diesel starts purring loudly alongside his humans' touches.

Zoro's other hand shyly goes to Sanji's naked side. He relishes in the warmth he finds there, the feeling of a strong body underneath pale taut skin, and steps forward to hug both his boyfriend and their cat, resting his forehead against the other's and softly smiling.

Sanji feels a bit light-headed right now. _I like this_, he realizes. His breathing quickens a little as it dawns on him that they're half naked and _that's_ why it feels so good... skin against skin is the best feeling ever, and Zoro's is warm and soft, a little callused at the fingertips, but they're only leaving blissful sparks in their wake as they shyly explore his back. "No fair", he weakly protests, "My hands are full." But just as he says that, the hand that was petting Diesel stops its ministrations and mimics Zoro's earlier moves, going to the green-haired student's side to explore warm tanned skin.

Diesel meows but keeps purring when the petting stops, opens his eyes to see that both of his humans are forming a safe cocoon around him. He raises a paw to gently pat his green-haired human's chin.

Zoro chuckles but doesn't move, glancing at Diesel from his peripheral vision.

Sanji doesn't move either, keeping his forehead against the marimo's. He traces lazy patterns on the broad expanse of Zoro's back with his fingertips, and enjoys the vibrations of the purring ball of fur nestled between them. He contentedly sighs after a while, and tilts his head up to meet Zoro's lips.

The kiss is welcomed, returned in kind, and broken with a small whine from Zoro.

Sanji smirks and cockily says, "Can't get enough of me, can ya ?"

Zoro huffs... but doesn't deny. Instead, he deadpans, "Says the one with the hand on my ass."

Sanji's hand instantly flies back to Zoro's back. He hadn't even noticed how it trailed down ! _This is so embarrassing..._ He feels heat rising up to the tip of his ears and wants to take a step back, but his moves are soon restricted by strong arms and the more he resists, the more he fears they'll end up hurting Diesel between them, so he yields and stays close to Zoro, enveloped by his warmth and his strength.

Zoro buries his smirk in the crook of Sanji's neck, and retaliates, sliding his hands to cup two ass cheeks and giving an appreciative squeeze.

Sanji yelps but doesn't dare move, mindful of the cat.

Zoro snickers but puts his hands back up on the blond's slim waist.

Sanji rolls his eyes and grumbles, "Perv."

"Maybe", Zoro smirks, and moves to capture his boyfriend's mouth.

Sanji allows him to deepen the kiss and can't help a moan when the other gently sucks his tongue. He breaks the kiss panting for air and finally manage to take a step back, shimmying his way out of Zoro's reach. "Okay", he breathes out. "That's..." Another deep breath, then he bites his lower lip. "As much as I enjoy this, it's past three in the morning and we should really get to sleep", he finally says.

Zoro lets out a frustrated grunt but then sighs, kind of defeated.

Sanji has a sympathetic smile as he puts Diesel back on the floor.

The calico tabby yawns and stretches. Tonight he wants to stay close to his humans, so he hops on the bottom bunk bed, and installs himself snugly at its feet.

Zoro smiles at the sight. "At least I'll have him tonight", he gently teases his boyfriend as he pokes him in the ribs.

Sanji slightly winces, and draws his tongue out. Then he climbs into his own bed and slides under the blanket, comfortably installing himself for the night.

Zoro can't suppress the need of a goodnight kiss and steals one from Sanji as soon as he's snugly rolled in his blanket, before swiftly jumping into his own bed.

Sanji chuckles. "Good night, marimo."

"G'night, cook", Zoro replies, stretching his legs so he can feel Diesel's warmth at his feet.

Soon the room is filled with soft snores and purrs...

* * *

Sunday comes by and Sanji wakes up with the first rays of sunshine. He stretches in his bed, then hops off it, and glances at Zoro's dormant form.

The marimo's snugly rolled under his blanket, body wrapping around Diesel curled in a ball against Zoro's stomach.

Sanji smiles and has a contented sigh. _They look so peaceful together. It's nice._ He grabs a random t-shirt, puts it on and moves to the kitchen. There he prepares his first coffee, and smokes a cigarette at the window, while he sips from his cup. As he exhales a cloud of smoke outside the building, he glances to see that no one's in view, no one that could rat him out to the supervisors, because smoking inside the building isn't permitted. When he's done and he threw the spent butt away with a flick of his fingers, he leaves the window open to ventilate the room some more and starts preparing breakfast.

Diesel wakes up at some noise in the kitchen, unwraps himself from his human's warmth, and stretches as he gets up. He yawns and groggily hops off the bed, his paws automatically bringing him to the rustling and fumbling noises. There he sees his other human fussing around, so he comes to him and rubs his sides against his naked legs.

Sanji looks down. "Oh, did I wake you up ? Aww, I'm sorry." He squats down and grabs his cat for a hug. "Good morning, sweet little thing", he says as he gently pets the calico tabby.

Diesel gladly accepts the hug and the warmth radiating from his human, rubs his head against his torso and starts loudly purring.

"I love you, kitty cat", Sanji murmurs, "You make me so happy."

Diesel doesn't quite understand what his human says, but the vibrations are nice, and the calming vibes emanating from him are a delight. He purrs even louder, and meows in acknowledgement.

Sanji has a soft smile. "You seem so smart sometimes, you understand us, don't you ? Cute little Diesel."

Something catches Diesel's attention. Now that he's hauled up in the air he can smell things he couldn't before, and among them something smells really good. He sniffs the air, and turns around to watch what's on the kitchen counter. Meat.

Sanji takes a step back, to put some distance between the cat and the bacon. "Hey, there. You'll have some but you have to wait." He puts Diesel back on the floor, closes the window, and washes his hands before getting back to cooking.

Diesel meows once or twice to make sure his human doesn't forget about him, then goes to the couch to groom.

Zoro wakes up to nice smells and the sound of Sanji calling for him.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey", the blond says, smiling over Zoro's sleeping form.

Zoro blearily opens his eyes and realizes Diesel isn't with him anymore. "Where-", he starts.

"Already digging in his own bacon", Sanji cuts him, "And now it's our turn." He leans back up and offers a hand to help the marimo up.

Zoro accepts it, smiling, but gets up too fast and finds himself dizzy when eye-level with the blond. He dazedly grabs Sanji's waist for support for the while he needs to regain his composure.

Sanji feels the shift in the other's stance and is mildly worried. "Whoa, there. Are you okay ?"

"Too fast", Zoro groggily says.

"Hey, I'm here", Sanji reassures him, firmly holding onto the other's sides to keep him standing.

Zoro blinks and sighs into the crook of his boyfriend's neck, holding him taut in a tight hug.

At some point Sanji leans back and asks, "D'you feel better now ? A breakfast could help."

"Sure", Zoro says as he unlatches his arms from around the blond. "But first, can I have a kiss ?"

Sanji feels butterflies in his chest at such a simple request, but he leans in and places a chaste kiss on Zoro's lips.

Zoro grins like a kid on Christmas.

Sanji then leads the way to the kitchen where they eat their eggs and bacon, and have a mutual agreement to keep binging Steven Universe all day.

When they're done doing the dishes they install themselves just like yesterday, that is snuggling on the couch with Diesel nestled against them, and eager to discover the next episodes of their new favorite series. They only pause the show to prepare breakfast and snacks, and devour a few good hours of it, until they reach the end of the third season.

"Holy moly !" Sanji exclaims.

"Wow, that's some _huge_ plot twist."

"I love shows where characters aren't Manichean, but _this_ !?"

"Didn't see that coming at all", Zoro adds.

"I'm gonna text Nami, tell her how awesome the show is", Sanji says, and promptly executes himself.

Zoro turns his attention to Diesel, grooming against him on the couch. He playfully catches a raised paw to disturb the cat.

Diesel meows, pats his human's hand, but soon resumes his grooming.

The green-haired student grabs Diesel's paw again, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

The calico tabby meows again, and rolls on his back to play with his human's hand.

Zoro softly chuckles, and scratches under Diesel's chin before tickling his belly.

The cat tries to grab his human's hand, manages to paw at his fingers every now and then. He meows from being interrupted in a grooming session, but finds himself distracted from his annoyance quite soon.

Sanji sends his message and turns to his roommate and their cat. A soft smile grows on his face. "Wanna drink something ?", he offers.

"Eh, why not."

Sanji gets up and moves to the fridge to retrieve two beers. He opens them and holds one out for the marimo.

"Thanks", the other says as he sits and holds a hand out to grab the beer. "Cheers", he clinks his bottle against Sanji's.

"Cheers !"

Zoro takes a first sip and comments, "Aah, good stuff."

"Of course", Sanji puffs out his chest.

"What do we eat tonight ?"

"Hmm. Dunno yet. Any ideas ?"

"Something simple ? I kinda want to keep watching Steven Universe."

Sanji widely grins. "Me too ! Okay, what about _pasta al pesto_ ?"

"Whatever you say", Zoro shrugs. "Either way I know it's gonna be good."

Sanji's heart swells at such a direct compliment, and he swiftly moves to the kitchen to conceal his raging blush. While the pasta cooks, he mashes together all the basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan needed for his pesto, and thins them down with oliv oil. He's just in time to drain the pasta, and finally mix it with his homemade sauce. He notices Diesel coming by when he's just about done, and retrieves canned tuna for him.

The calico tabby eagerly dives in as soon as his meal is served.

Sanji balances two hot plates on his arm and places them on the low table in front of the couch. "Shall we ?"

Zoro nods and dives in, emitting a low hum of appreciation at the first bite.

And so they eat, and discover the fourth season up until "Mindful Education".

Sanji pauses the show at the end of the episode to do the dishes. "Wow, that was... unexpectedly nice. And thoughtful", he comments as he washes his plate.

By his side, Zoro smiles. "Yeah. And I really like their songs, they're both catchy and meaningful."

"Too bad we have classes tomorrow, I would have loved to continue."

"Hmm. In the evenings, when our work is done, we can keep watching the show."

"You're right. I can't wait for what's next !"

"You look excited enough to not be able to sleep", Zoro bemusedly says.

"Heh, but I'm tired, too."

"Hmm."

Sanji passes the last of the cutlery to his roommate, and dries his hands. Then he moves to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and subsequently slips into the bedroom.

When Zoro's done drying all the dishes he grabs Diesel by the nape of the neck and puts him over his shoulder, rubs his head against the warm fur.

Diesel purrs of contentment in return. His human places him at the feet of his bed, one of his favorite spots to nap whenever one or both of his humans are around. He curls into a ball and slowly drifts into sleep.

Sanji removes his shirt and turns to Zoro, who's now in a similar state of undress. He places his hands on the marimo's hips and pulls him closer for a hug.

"Hey", Zoro exhales as he places his forehead against Sanji's.

"Hey", the blond echoes.

"Thank you for this weekend", the green-haired student murmurs.

"Didn't do anything unusual", Sanji retorts, a bit surprised.

"But it was nice. Everything. So... y'know, thanks", Zoro blushes a little.

Sanji simply leans in for a tender kiss.

Zoro's hands instantly fly to Sanji's waist to pull him even closer. He moans in delight at the contact of their naked torsos flush against each other.

Sanji feels heat pooling in his gut at such close contact, and even though the feeling isn't _that_ foreign to him, it still feels a bit alien to feel that towards a man. So he cautiously steps back, breaking the kiss, and immediately excuses himself, "Sorry, I... I'mma go to bed."

Zoro grunts in annoyance but complies, stepping out of the way to let the future cook climb onto his bed. _Baby steps_, he keeps reminding himself.

Sanji rolls into his blanket as usual but feels like he's missing something. _Now that's weird, I felt better in the marimo's arms._ He cringes at the realization that he may have missed something crucial.

Zoro quietly slides into his own bed, mindful of Diesel, and switches the light off.

A few moments in silence, then... "Thank you, too", Sanji says.

"What for ?", Zoro incredulously asks.

"I had a really nice weekend."

Zoro's heart swells and he exhales a deep sigh of relief.

"I think I really like spending time with you, now", Sanji confesses in hushed tones, as if someone could hear them.

Zoro grins from ear to ear in the darkness of the room. "I'm glad you do", he says, "I really am."

Sanji feels lighter, way better... "Good night, marimo."

"G'night, cook."

**Author's Note:**

> It was fun writing about those dorks discovering Steven Universe, without spoilers :')
> 
> Plot bunnies and prompts are welcomed for this AU ! Hit me up and I'll see what I can do with your ideas :3


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